Course contact details
Main Contact
Email:admissions@rcs.ac.uk
Phone:0141 332 4101
Fax: 0141 332 8901
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
100 Renfrew Street
Glasgow
G2 3DB
Music Performance and Musicology (Taught)
- Master of Arts
- 1 Years
- Full-Time
- 20 September 2027
- Postgraduate
- Main Site
- Course scheme
- UCAS Conservatoires
Course summary
The MA in Performance and Musicology is intended for highly skilled instrumentalists and singers who wish to pursue academic research into music and musical practices alongside advanced study in performance.
Individual lessons in the principal study are at the heart of the degree, supported by a wide range of performance based activities within the the rich musical environment of the RCS. The Musicology module will introduce you to the study of music as a scholarly endeavour, with a particular emphasis on historiography, aesthetics and criticism, and editorial techniques. The programme culminates in a number of assessed public performances, alongside a written dissertation on a self-chosen issue, source or repertory related to the your principal study.
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You’ll experience the highest-quality individual tuition from expert teachers who are active professionals in their field. Our small class sizes offer you maximal access to practice facilities and ensembles
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You’ll study in one of the most multi-disciplinary conservatoires in the world, with opportunities to collaborate with performing artists from across RCS.
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You'll be part of a thriving scholarly community, alongside staff and doctoral students delivering new insights and innovation in music, stage, screen, production and education.
Overseas Applicants
We will be holding auditions at venues across the world, but audition requirements AND application deadline dates will change depending on your principal study and where you are applying to. We will be operating a pre-screening process for some instrumental departments. Full information on our locations, dates and requirements can be found on our website. Please check this prior to applying.
All international applicants and those that are submitting a recording must also include a spoken introduction recording that is separate from your instrumental performance. This must be submitted to your Acceptd application by the relevant application deadline for where you are auditioning.
All recorded submissions should contain a spoken introduction in English. Please tell us:
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Your name
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A bit about your musical background and training you’ve had till now
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Your musical ambitions
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Your reasons for applying to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
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This video should be no longer than 3 minutes long and separate to your performance video
Our overseas auditions will consist of one panel member and will also be recorded for review by the relevant department.
• Please note for live overseas auditions, we cannot guarantee that a member of our teaching staff for your specific discipline will be on the panel.
• All applicants will need to provide their own instruments (except piano).
• All applicants will need to provide their own accompanist for overseas auditions.
Course details
Principal study options
During the application and audition process, you must select which instrument(s) you wish to specialise in for the duration of your course. On this course, you can choose from the following options:
Instrument/specialisms
For all courses, you must select at least one specialism from the 'primary' list. For those studying primary/secondary pathways, two instruments may be selected – one from the 'primary' list and one from the 'secondary' list. Joint pathway students may select any two instruments from either list.
Primary instrument/specialism
- Accordion (classical)
- Bassoon
- Cello
- Clarinet
- Cornet
- Double Bass
- Euphonium
- Flute
- Guitar (Classical)
- Harp
- Harpsichord
- Horn (French)
- Horn (Tenor)
- Oboe
- Organ
- Percussion (Orchestral) & Timpani
- Piano (Classical)
- Saxophone (Alto)
- Trombone (Bass)
- Trombone (Tenor)
- Trumpet
- Tuba
- Viola
- Violin
- Voice (Alto)
- Voice (Baritone)
- Voice (Bass)
- Voice (Bass-Baritone)
- Voice (Contralto)
- Voice (Counter-Tenor)
- Voice (Mezzo-Soprano)
- Voice (Sacred Music)
- Voice (Soprano)
- Voice (Tenor)
Modules
Course Modules
MMus/MA Stage 1
Principal Study 1 – 60 credits
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Individual lessons
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2-3 negotiated performance assessments
Graduate Studies 1 – 30/20/10 credits
- Negotiated departmental activities, such as performance classes, coaching, languages and masterclasses
Musicology – 20 credits
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Lectures and seminars
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Essay
Practice Research – 10 credits
- Research project
Options – 0/10/20 credits
- Range of optional classes drawn from School of Music, School of Stage and Screen, and School of Dance
MA Stage 2
Masters Dissertation – 60 credits
- 10,000 word scholarly dissertation on a topic related to the principal study
https://www.rcs.ac.uk/courses/mmus-ma-performance-musicology/
Assessment method
Please see our website for more information
How to apply
If you are an international applicant, or you are applying for a postgraduate course, or are choosing certain assessment locations, the 'on time' deadline may be later in the year - please contact the conservatoire directly.
Apply by
1 October 2026
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Application codes
- Course code:
- 814F
- Institution code:
- R58
- Campus name:
- Main Site
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
Entry requirements
Typical qualification requirements
Minimum Qualification Requirements
Typical qualification requirements
Additional entry requirements
- Audition
- Audition repertoire requirements depend on which principal study you are applying for. You can find this information on the individual postgraduate department pages in the ‘How to Apply’ section: https://www.rcs.ac.uk/courses/mmus-ma-performance-musicology/#how-to-apply
- Interview
- An interview will be included as part of your audition for suitability to the programme.
English language requirements
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6 | 6.0 with no component below 5.5 |
| TOEFL (iBT) | 80 | Overall score of 80, with minimum scores of: Reading – 18, Listening – 17, Speaking – 20, Writing – 17 |
| PTE Academic | 59 | Overall score of 59 with a minimum of 59 in all components (reading, listening, speaking, writing) |
| Cambridge English Advanced | Overall score of 169 with a minimum of 162 in all components | |
| Cambridge English Proficiency | Overall score of 169 with a minimum of 162 in all components |
https://www.rcs.ac.uk/study/international-students/english-requirements/
Assessment locations
In the event of a successful assessment, applicants may be invited for a further interview prior to being made an offer.
Remote assessment recordings may be accepted in the event that you cannot attend an assessment in person.
Single specialism assessment
| Location | On-time Fee |
|---|---|
| RCS (Glasgow) | £65 |
| Recording | £65 |
| New York | £65 |
| Los Angeles | £65 |
| Qingdao | £65 |
| Seoul | £65 |
| Singapore | £65 |
| Chicago | £65 |
| Toronto | £65 |
Joint principal specialism assessment
| Location | On-time Fee |
|---|---|
| RCS (Glasgow) | Not Applicable |
| Recording | Not Applicable |
| New York | Not Applicable |
| Los Angeles | Not Applicable |
| Qingdao | Not Applicable |
| Seoul | Not Applicable |
| Singapore | Not Applicable |
| Chicago | Not Applicable |
| Toronto | Not Applicable |
Additional Information
All applicants need to complete an Acceptd account profile and application regardless of which location you choose, this is part of the audition process (https://app.getacceptd.com/rcs) and needs to be completed once your UCAS application has been submitted. All live in-person auditions will be scheduled through the Acceptd platform. If you don't have an acceptd application, we won't be able to audition you. For applicants auditioning in-person overseas, an interview for the Musicology aspects of this programme will likely take place online outwith the music auditoin. You can view the audition requirements and what to prepare for this course on the relevant programme page on our website. If you have any questions, please contact: hello@rcs.ac.uk
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
Per year tuition fees
| Location | Fee | Year |
|---|
* This is a provisional fee and subject to change.
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.
Additional fee information
Please note, all new students are required to pay associated programme cost related fees at the start of their studies.
For more information on fees, funding and scholarship, please see our website.
Sponsorship information
Music Scholarships
Within the School of Music, the majority of scholarship awards are made following an audition and offer of a place at the RCS. Scholarships are made based on ability and potential with some for financial need. Many School of Music scholarships are made for the duration of the programme. There is no separate scholarship application for the School of Music as everyone is automatically considered.
Related courses
At Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
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